BTW Ed, the EPA meetings are pro forma — i.e., designed to meet a coming court challenges to the rules, not to allow the public to weigh in.

The Hill reports:

The government shutdown is denying members of the public a chance to weigh in on contentious planned regulations that would limit carbon emissions from existing power plants, Sen. Ed Markey charged Tuesday.

The Massachusetts Democrat, who has long championed federal efforts to tackle climate change, blamed the Republican Party’s conservative wing for the shutdown, which prompted the cancellation of public hearing Tuesday on the Environmental Protection Agency proposal.

“This Tea Party shutdown has shut out the public from even discussing climate change, and what our government can do about it,” Markey said during a conference call with reporters.